Fulcrum Properties

Yesterday, all of our fire alarms went off in our home. I rushed home to find a leak dripping from our second floor down through our fire alarm to our entry-foyer. Our new contractor, a wonderful person, came and discovered that Jerry and his team never sealed our son's toilet or sink, so any and all water that was splashed out of the tub or used to clean the bathroom floor simply dripped through the ceiling to our lower floor. It's amazing all the code violations we continue to find, it's never ending with Fulcrum and Jerry Moyer.

Unprofessional, disorganized and poor workmanship. Never finished contract. Materials were poorly or even completely incorrectly installed by poor quality tradesmen. We ended up with (for example) ceiling leaks (eventually resolved but w/o repaint), gaps in grouting around tiles, wobbly floor tiles, loose electrical receptacles, gaps in flooring/molding, no exterior trim on one window for three years (so water damage in walls), no storm door for two years, piping not properly sealed so water leaking from sump pump into basement, molded carpets. Owner/manager was very disorganized so things were not done in correct order, nor on schedule. In fact, two to three years after the completion of the bulk of the project, there were substantial outstanding items that were never completed. During remodel, windows and doors were regularly left unlocked and even open or ajar (allowing rain inside), construction space was not kept clean. Frequently one or two unskilled workers were left onsite to complete tasks without clear instructions or understanding so, for example, coated windows that were not supposed to be scraped with a razor blade were scraped, exterior water drains were not placed at a grade, so they don't drain, full dishwasher was opened so water damage to floor. For more info Google Fulcrum to find another scary remodeling story that the poor homeowners put on a blog.

We had an awful experience working with Fulcrum Properties and its owner, Jerry Moyer, throughout a very significant addition and renovation (three-story addition, renovated all bathrooms, basement, and office). He and his project manager were great at first -- closing the sale. They promised us a full-service design-build firm that would stage the work while we lived in the home and help us with selections throughout the process. The relationship quickly soured when we had the nerve (!!) to ask questions about timing or selections, such as why they would recommend installing a hot water heater designed for a mobile home in our colonial. Jerry Moyer was either absent from the job site or defensive and angry when we asked questions. He fired our project manager mid-way through the project and we ended up managing the project with another subcontractor for the rest of the project. It was definitely nothing like our previous experiences with other builders. Among other things, Fulcrum: 1. Did not conduct a lead test in our 1950?s home before renovating, while we lived in the property with our children. 2. Completed the project about four months late. 3. Was over budget by thousands and didn?t inform us of this increase until after the project through an invoice. 4. Left our doors unlocked and wide open during the winter months and when a string of robberies occurred in our neighborhood. 5. Damaged pieces of our furniture and reacted with, ?did you see any of our people do it? and ?don?t you have children?? 6. Built three crooked walls. Jerry Moyer?s comment to me was, ?where in the contract does it state that walls have to be straight?? 7. Installed foam insulation in out attic, where we have a gas furnace and a tankless gas hot water heater, but did not put on the fire-retardant coating that the manufacturer says is mandatory. And now that the work is done (almost), grout is falling off our master bathroom shower; our bathroom shower, sink, and toilet paper fixtures are loose or have fallen off the wall; we have a leak from our newly installed laundry room into the ceiling of out entryway, setting off our alarm one evening and causing walls to buckle; and our hot water heater for our master shower doesn?t work consistently because they installed the gas line wrong. Lastly, even though we have a warranty in our contract, Fulcrum has not responded to our requests to fix these items. Additionally, Arlington County came out for their final inspection and Fulcrum's work was failed for plumbing, mechanical, electrical. All in all, please beware of Jerry Moyer and Fulcrum Properties. If you are interested, read more about our lessons learned here: http://arlingtonrenovation.wordpress.com/